Daniel J. Hilferty, Chief Executive Officer of Independence Health Group, and Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation

A Message from Our Leadership

We are stronger together than we are alone. This simple principle guides the collaborative relationships our Independence Blue Cross Foundation is developing with a growing number of community partners.

With Foundation grants totaling nearly $5 million in 2018, we supported the work of 97 nonprofits reaching nearly 300,000 people in the greater Philadelphia region — expanding access to health care for the underserved, preparing the future generation of nurse leaders, and inspiring hope for people affected by our nation’s opioid crisis.

To respond to the increasing need for innovative strategies to improve community health, in 2018 we launched our new Community Innovation Grant Program to help nonprofits pursue creative approaches to solving community health challenges.

Funding is just one way our Foundation fulfills its mission. We’re proud to be a thought leader known for convening diverse organizations to collaborate on initiatives that strengthen community health.

As part of our “Someone You Know” campaign to reduce the stigma of opioid use disorder, we hosted our largest conference to date — Someone You Know: Facing the Opioid Crisis Together — bringing together more than 600 people to inspire hope and empower people struggling with opioid use disorder to seek help.

Through our Journal of Change publication — a winner of the 2018 Hermes Creative Gold Award — we present in-depth thought leadership about our areas of impact and showcase insights and successes from our community partners.

How do we know we’re making an impact? For one, we witness it with our student nurse interns — interns like Maila Turay who are eager to use their skills and passion to improve community health in our region and around the world.

A Temple University student, Maila raised and donated $20,000 worth of medical supplies and equipment to three rural hospitals in his home country of Sierra Leone. He credits his personal leadership development to his participation in our Nursing Internship Program.

We are profoundly grateful for the relationships we continue to develop and for the support of our Board as we work to transform community health.

Daniel J. Hilferty

Daniel J. Hilferty

Chief Executive Officer
Independence Health Group

Lorina Marshall-Blake

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake

President
Independence Blue Cross Foundation